Of Glass Slippers, Glass Coffins, and Long Hair
by maailma-rahu
Summary: All fairy tales start and end the same way. But what if a fairy tale were to happen in the world of wealthy Londoner's? How would it end and how would it start. Follow three different London girls' modern fairy tales of their own.
1. Prologue

Once upon a time three very lovely girls were suppressed by their evil stepmothers. This once upon a time is now, while we live.

Eleanor was one of the three lovely girls. Her father had died when she was eight leaving her in the care of her step mother who left her to live in the garage flat and go to public school. While her daughters- who had no money, nor did their mother- live off Eleanor's father's money. The first stepsister occupied Eleanor's spot at Clark E. Larson's Preparatory School in London. The second stepsister needed to pay a generous amount to get into the school.

Bianca, another one of the three lovely girls, was the heir to a great fortune that was denied to her as well. She was the daughter of the owner of a Petroleum boom in the Caribbean. Her father, who managed the Petroleum, was never home and most likely cheated on his wife- Bianca's stepmother. In anger at her husband and jealousy at Bianca's charm, her stepmother didn't speak to Bianca, buy her clothes, and made her sleep in the nanny's quarters. No nanny was ever hired so Bianca was left to be raised by the maid.

Keira was the only one of the three lovely girls without a step mother. She was raised by her godmother. Keira's godmother had been in love with Keira's father and Keira's mother was her godmother's best friend. Naturally Keira's godmother hated her.

Keira's godmother was the wealthiest single woman in London. She gave Keira everything a girl could ever. I was out of selfishness though. The only reason Keira's stepmother gave her anything was to alleviate her of the guilt of never speaking to the girl and secluding her from society. Keira, like Bianca, attended Clark E. Larson's Preparatory School.

These girls were fairy tale princesses in everyway: suppressed, tragic lives, beautiful, they could sing… But they weren't happy – who would be in their position? So their quest for happiness begins, here.

Let me tell you a little about Larson Prep. It's the most elite prep school in London. Luckily for Bianca and Keira, they didn't have to worry about getting into a good college. Everyone at Larson Prep got into one of the world's best colleges on alumni advantages or just because they went to Larson Prep.

The Larson Prep kids were a partying bunch. It was all they ever did. This could be why Bianca and Keira were so unpopular. They didn't party. Keira didn't because she really didn't know anyone. Bianca didn't because her stepmother planned parties for a living and she didn't want to be like her stepmother.  
Eleanor, or Ellie as she preferred to be called, was different. She had to work her ass off at public school to get into a good college. All of her time was dedicated to extra curricular activities, homework, and studying. As a result her grades were flawless. But she had no social life.


	2. Bianca at Primark

Chapter One: Bianca at Primark

After she had finished her required community service hours they began paying her for working at the senior shelter. It was only 6 pounds an hour, but it was more than Livia ever gave her.

Money, being Bianca's biggest obstacle, had sparked her love for Primark. It was the only store she could afford. Her entire wardrobe was from Primark. The cute tops she wore to every extra – school activity were from Primark. Her shoes, all 84 pairs, were from Primark. Bee's addiction to shoes prevented her from owning more than five pairs of jeans, but nonetheless she couldn't go a week without buying a pair.

There was another reason Bee loved Primark: no one from Larson Prep shopped there. Her time spent at Primark every Saturday was her time away from the materialistic snobs she spent everyday with.

Primark to Bianca was salvation. It was her hang out and the little café next door was the other half of her salvation. She lived there, spent more time there than at home. And when she wasn't there she was organizing outfits with her shoes and clothes she bought drinking coffee from Le Chat Noir. Bee's addiction to coffee made her one of the world's perkiest people, despite her situation.

Bee strolled through the cheaply priced clothes racks at Primark while thinking about graduation and the prom. People would be dressed in Versace, Missoni, Blumarine, and every major designer in the world. Bee would love to imagine herself in a Givenchy gown wearing Jimmy Chou's with her hair done up by Paul Simone- London's biggest hair stylist. But that just wouldn't happen. She would be in a discount department store Nicole Miller gown which she spent 40 pounds on, she would be wearing a pair of Primark shoes, and she would do her hair herself. Prom would be a night to remember: she would wander around alone again.

But at least she had the clothing racks at Primark and her shoe collection, which was about to be increased to 85 pairs. Gaining on the register Bee considered the consequences of spending her earnings on another pair of shoes and then a cup of coffee. It would take money out of her prom dress savings. She knew she'd regret it. But looking down at those patent leather red sling back pumps with the open front she decided she couldn't do without them.

So Bee rung the shoes up at the register and made her way over to Le Chat Noir. It was empty, as it always was. Le Chat Noir may have had the best coffee in London, but its dingy atmosphere didn't give it a good name. And the fact that no one knew about it may have contributed to its reputation too. The furniture may have been comfy, but it was mismatched. It was relaxed yet the broken lights forced people to get coffee elsewhere. And the music may have been good, but it wasn't played on the radio so no one wanted to get an espresso there. It was Bee's ideal getaway.

She took a seat in her ideal getaway after ordering a mocha latte. Pulling out her laptop (she had gone a year without a single new pair of shoes to afford it), she noticed someone else enter the cafe. He looked familiar, but the only people Bee knew were from her school, and she didn't even know them well. There was no way he could be from Larson Prep. Larson Prep kids didn't hang out in the part of London Le Chat Noir was in.

He ordered something at the bar without even looking at the menu and then took a seat not to far from her. Bee took one final glance at him and then stopped caring. He may have been bloody gorgeous with the dark hair that fell luxuriously into his eyes, but she saw a lot of gorgeous people. They didn't care about her so she'd learned not to care about them. It was her routine. She went back to working on her lit essay.


	3. Eleanor not in Kensington

Disclaimer: I don't really quite know who to give credit to...

Eleanor was one of the most fashionable girls at Claremont Academy. It was hard to believe because in the world Ellie actually belonged to she was far from fashionable. All she ever wore was her stepsisters' last season designer clothes. But they were worth more than anybody at Claremont could afford.

Ellie wasn't exactly popular at Claremont. She could have been; everybody liked her, but she couldn't cope with popularity. Ellie didn't have a social life at all. Her friends, if she could call them that, were the other honor students at Claremont. She spent her time at volunteer soup shelters, peer leadership, volunteer hospital work, ballet lessons (which she paid for buy acquiring a scholarship to the studio through a competition) and every other extra curricular activity she could think of.

Ellie found herself tired at the end of everyday. She would stay up until four, not because she was partying, but because of her extra curricular activities and excessive amounts of homework and extra credit. She was taking four more classes than everyone else in the school. As a result, she had no free time during school.

And she barely had any time to adjust the clothes her sisters would give her when they didn't want them anymore. Luckily she had Serena's help. Serena was the twenty six year old maid and Ellie's only real friend. She was great with answering the door for Ellie's stepmother Lela, and great with picking up Ellie's stepsisters' trash. But Serena was especially great with seam work. She could make any of Ellie's stepsisters clothes fit Ellie.

And Serena, a college student had taught Ellie how to drive. She had taught Ellie how to sew and sneak out at night. She taught Ellie how to apply make up and pretty much everything else Ellie knew about being a teenager. Serena was Ellie's lifeline, her connection to all things modern.

Ellie found she liked to live in Jane Austen novels and literary classics written by other female novelists, or just literary classics containing female protagonists. In fact, she read so much she didn't even bother watching movies or television. The only movie she'd seen in the past six months was Becoming Jane. She thought it was a horrible portrayal of Jane Austen's life.

All of Ellie's dorkiness was for one thing: her acceptance to St. Andrew's. Her father and her mother had both gone there. She wanted to be like them. St. Andrew's was her dream. But at Claremont, such a dream was hard to accomplish. And without Ellie's innumerable extra curricular, her dream would be impossible. If her father was still alive…well she didn't really want to remember that.

Ellie had an infallible memory. It was her key to success. Ellie loved not having to study for every single exam because she remembered the lesson so well. Without her memory Ellie wouldn't have had anytime to talk to Serena at all. She would have been the lonely, lifeless, cold hearted bitch that no one liked.

But she wasn't. Ellie was the sweetest person in all of London, or so Serena believed. She was always sharing whatever she had. And Serena truly believed that if Ellie's father hadn't died she still would do all that community service. She never yelled or scolded anyone or anything. Ellie was the ambassador of perfection.

Ellie sat at her laptop, a seventeenth birthday gift from Serena and the cook, and began her research project on the collapse of Gaul's government. The subject Ellie found fascinating, but it wasn't exactly "social" Serena would say. Think of her only friend and maid Serena popped up in Ellie's doorway.

"Get up and stop writing your stupid essay," Serena threatened. "We're going to the bank."

Ellie looked at her skeptically. "The bank?" she asked, "What business would two impoverished women have at the bank."

Serena smiled mischievously "You'll see," she cackled.

Ellie followed Serena out of the apartment without so much a note to Lela. Serena dragged Ellie away from Kensington. She followed as Serena dragged her all the way from Kensington to Newham.

"There_are_ banks in Kensington you know," Ellie remarked when they first entered Newham. It certainly wasn't the wealthy community Ellie knew. Even if she wasn't really in society she still knew Kensington and loved it. It was her home. It was where her father had raised her.

Serena dragged her into an International City Bank in the smack middle of Newham and told her to wait in the "lobby". Ellie looked around in disgust. Even if she didn't live in the same comfort as the typical Kensington heiress, the guest apartment was nicer than any apartment in Newham could ever hope to be. And the people in Kensington were much more refined.

To distract herself from the disgust she felt at being in Newham, Ellie examined her nails. However examining her nails made her seem like an uptight bitch. Serena noticed this and made a joke out of it.

"Stop looking so happy and relaxed and move your ass," Serena directed these words toward Ellie. Not knowing where to "move her ass" to Ellie simply stared at Serena dumbfounded. "Come on," Serena nagged when Ellie didn't move. "We've got somewhere to be."

Serena motioned for Ellie to take a right. Ellie moved quickly down the street following all the directions Serena gave her until they arrived at a dilapidated brick building. Looking at the building Ellie's disgusted face appeared on her face once again.

"What are we doing_here_?" she asked Serena.

Contrary to Ellie's face, Serena's was one of delight and complete happiness. She was tottering back and forth on her heels with excitement. Not able to hold her news in a moment longer she burst, "I bought a flat."

Ellie's face changed to acquire a pleasantly surprised look. "A flat?" she asked? "Of your own?" It was now her turn to totter back and forth in excitement.

"Yes, here." Serena stated matter of factly.

"Here?" Ellie was taken aback. When Ellie thought of a flat the luxuriously decorated three bedroom flats in Kensington came into mind.

"Yes. Here," Serena was more somber now as if offended by Ellie's comment. Unlike Ellie, Serena was not raised in Inner London among high fashion designers, hedge fund owners, and society hostesses. "It's not all that awful."

Ellie made a face, but followed Serena to the top floor of the building. She had best accept this style of living now. Likely enough she would be stuck like this living for the rest of her life.


End file.
